One common denominator
If there has been one common denominator throughout my entire career, it has been working with people who need help in one way or another.
During my early years
- I was a lifeguard at a pool frequented by at-risk youth while in college;
- I became an English teacher and worked with at-risk adolescents;
- I earned my Master’s Degree and became a high school guidance counselor;
- I provided private career counseling and life planning services to adults.
My interest in working with disabled individuals grew over time.
I returned to graduate school and earned a PhD degree, specializing in rehabilitation psychology. I focused on individuals with disabilities often thought to be “invisible,” that is, psychiatric disorders, brain injuries and co-existing substance abuse disorders.
I founded Emotional Education Services, LLC, in 1996.
I combined my teaching skills with my interests in mental health promotion and the prevention of psychiatric disorders and produced an emotional education video series entitled “Psyched Up!” These programs present skills and strategies that can help viewers to obtain and maintain resilient mental health.
I started working with chronically homeless people.
Although housing is a human right, I’d noticed that some people afflicted with the disabling conditions that I specialize in had descended into long term homelessness. I 2004, I began to investigate homelessness issues. Over time, I went on to conduct formal research in the field, to do outreach work and to become an advocate for chronically homeless individuals.
My recent initiatives
I’ve focused recent initiatives on the related concepts of human rights and social justice. I train homeless advocates and consult with homeless services organizations. My goal now is to inspire a homeless advocacy movement across our country. I believe that we can all work more effectively together in order to get all of our nation’s chronically homeless, disabled people off the streets, into health care and into safe and stable supportive housing.